The practice of Biblical Christian polygyny in the USA today

Because of the culture shock of polygyny and slavery to the western/American mind, please be reminded that when on earth Jesus lived in a society where slavery was legal and popular with the well to do and he dealt with the situation (1 Cor 7:20-24), and remember that just after Jesus-Jehovah gave the ten commandments to Moses in Ex 20, He regulated polygyny for Israel in Ex 21.

****1 Cor 7:20 After God calls him, everyone should remain in the station or condition of life in which the summons [of God] found him. 21 Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let that trouble you. But if you are able to gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.  22 For he who as a slave was summoned in [to union with] the Lord is a freedman of the Lord, just so he who was free when he was called is a bond servant of Christ (the Messiah). 23 You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for by Christ]; then do not yield yourselves up to become [in your own estimation] slaves to men [but consider yourselves slaves to Christ]. 24 Brethren, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called [by God]

****Exodus 21:7 When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. 8 If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her. 9 If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter. 10 If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights. 11 And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money." Ex 21 ESV

Again in Deut 21 we see Jesus-Jehovah regulating polygyny for Israel under the Law:
"15 “If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him children, and if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved, 16 then on the day when he assigns his possessions as an inheritance to his sons, he may not treat the son of the loved as the firstborn in preference to the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn, 17 but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the firstfruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his" Deut 21 ESV.

And finally in Ezek 23 we see Jesus-Jehovah portraying Himself as a polygynist:
"1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. . . . 4 Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters [to me]."

Deut 25:5If brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, his wife shall not be married to a stranger outside the family. Her husband's [single or married] brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. [If he refuses to marry her and have children by her] 9then his brother's wife shall come to him in the sight of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face; and she shall declare, 'Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother's house.'

Deut 17:14 "When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, take possession of it, live in it, and say, 'We want to appoint a king over us like all the nations around us,' 15 you are to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. Appoint a king from your brothers. You are not to set a foreigner over you, or one who is not of your people. 16 However, he must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire many horses, for the LORD has told you, 'You are never to go back that way again. ' 17 He must not acquire many wives for himself so that his heart won't go astray. He must not acquire very large amounts of silver and gold for himself.

One may ask about King David's and King Solomon's polygyny. King Solomon sinned in two ways in his polygyny. He multiplied wives to himself (Deut 17:17) and he married unsaved and ungodly women (Prov 5:20; 1 Kings 11:1-3;Ezra 9:1,2). David is a different case. While Jesus-Jehovah rebuked and punished David for his adultery with Bath-sheba, while David had more than six wives (2 Sam 2:2; 3:2-4; 12:7,8), Jesus-Jehovah blessed and put His seal of approval on David (1Chron 17). Obviously David's adultery and David's polygyny are quite distinct and different in the eyes of God. From Deuteronomy and Revelations we know that God's curse is on those who add their word to the Word of God, and from Mat 13 and Mark 7 we know Jesus condemns those who teach their own word instead of the Word of God, so one must be very careful about declaring polygyny to be sin when the Word of God does not do so.

Finally, we know that today the word regulating the official and public practice of polygyny in America is the Word in Romans 13, where we in America are instructed to obey the laws of the land, America. As St. Augustine said, where the law prohibits the public and official practice of polygyny, it would be a sin, the sin of disobedience, for a child of God to publicly and officially practice polygyny. In countries where the public and official practice of polygyny is legal, polygynists are still bound to observe the Word in Romans 14, here paraphrased for application:
'1As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. . 1 Accept and welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but don't argue about or pass judgment on doubtful and disputable issues, opinions and reasonings [like those about polygyny] . . . . . 13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by [your polygyny you] are no longer walking in love. By what you [do], do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of [monogyny or polygyny] but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 20 Do not, for the sake of [polygyny], destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he [does]. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything [including polygyny] that causes your brother to stumble. 22 The faith/conviction that you have [about living in polygyny], keep between yourself and God [privately and discretely]. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts [about what he does] is condemned if he [does it], because the [doing] is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. 15: 1 Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. 2 Each one of us must please his neighbor for his good, in order to build him up.

Another Word regulating the practice of polygyny is 1 Cor 10, again paraphrased for application:
'23 "All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 No one should seek his own benefit, but the benefit of his neighbor. 25 [Practice any legal form of marriage you wish] without raising any question on the ground of conscience. . . . 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to [a public and official polygynous meeting] and you are disposed to go, [partake in the event] without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “[The public and official practice of polygyny is illegal here and sinful],” then do not [attend] it [or argue about or pass judgment on the doubtful and disputable issues, opinions and reasonings about polygyny], for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my [polygynous] liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I partake [of polygyny] with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? 31 So, whether you [practice monogyny or polygyny], or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.'

To not discern, recognize, rightfully appreciate and behave with wise and kind Love with the body of Christ, the body of His believers, when in fellowship with a body of believers, is to bring Father's promised discipline on one's self, often in the form of weakness, sickness and even the death of one's body.
". 29For anyone who eats and drinks [the Lord's communion supper periodically] without discerning, recognizing and rightfully appreciating the body [of Christ, His disciples], eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But If we were properly evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged. 32But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world." 1 Cor 11 ESV

ON THE OTHER HAND, if one becomes polygynous in obedience to God's explicit command,
then one must obey Jesus in the matter, and in this case it is Jesus and His Word that is offending, grieving and stumbling the one who upset about that one's polygyny. Consider the following situations:
[1] The bereft woman is under 1 Cor 7:8,9 command to marry, to be married. No godly and single Christian brother steps up to the plate to marry her, either because none of the brothers want to or are able to. The only godly Christian brother who is able (1Jn3:16,17,18) and willing (2 Cor 8:12) to marry her is already married. Married brothers are not excused from marrying a bereft woman (Deut 25:5-10). Since no other godly Christian male will marry the bereft woman under command to marry, and he is able to be husband to her, then he should marry her. It is best to practice polygyny secretly, privately and discretely (Romans 14) in hostile environments if at all possible, but if it is not possible to for the couple in this situation, then they must be polygynous "under fire", experiencing persecution for obeying Jesus.

[2] The believing brother's wife leaves him and divorces him. She marries another while still claiming to be a genuine disciple of Jesus. She has become snared in sin (2 tim 2:24ff). If they were both genuinely saved and free in the Lord to marry when they married, then they are maritally bound in the Kingdom of God as long as both live (1Cor7:10,11,39; Rom 7:1-3; Mark 10:1-15). The brother is subjected to all manner of predicted sexual temptations due to her being gone (1 Cor 7:1-5). He fails to consistently continue to abstain from sex sin, and so comes under command to marry (1 Cor 7:1,2,8,9). Obediently he marries another godly Christian sister in polygyny, since he is still maritally bound to the wife that left him. He may suffer persecution or loss of privileges in his local assembly because of his complicated marital status. He tries to practice his polygyny privately, secretly and discretely (Rom 14) but some in his assembly learn of it and are offended, grieved, and stumbled because of it. The offense, stumbling, grieving is because of his obedience to Christ, so it is Christ and His Word that is offending, stumbling and grieving them, and that matter is between them and Christ.

"But here there is no ground for a criminal accusation: for a plurality of wives was no
crime when it was the custom; and it is a crime now, because it is no longer the custom.
There are sins against nature, and sins against custom, and sins against the laws. As
regards nature, [Jacob] used the women not for sensual gratification, but for the
procreation of children. For custom, this was the common practice at that time in those
countries. And for the laws, no prohibition existed. The only reason of its being a crime
now to do this, is because custom and the laws forbid it.">.81
[Footnote: >81 A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian
Church, Vol. iv; p.289.]

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